What To Do When Leaves From Your Neighbor's Tree Fall Into Your Yard

The idiom "let the chips fall where they may" could be a stress-free way of looking at life, but what if those chips are actually leaves from your neighbor's tree? If you end up with loads of yard work courtesy of someone else's garden waste, who should be responsible for it? Well, in many cases, leaves, acorns, and twigs that fall from your neighbor's trees into your yard are legally considered natural matter rather than a nuisance, so they're yours to deal with. This means that your neighbor isn't responsible for leaves that fall in your yard, and they don't need to rake or remove them from your property. 

Since those leaves legally become part of the property on which they fall, the best way to deal them is to treat them as if they're yours. You could use a rake shovel to quickly handle leaves in your yard. Or, if you're bothered by the number of leaves falling in your yard, you are legally allowed to trim any branches that hang over onto your property line, as long as you do it in a way that doesn't permanently damage the entire tree. Another simple option is to use your mower to turn leaves into fuel for your garden.

What happens beyond that is a bit of a legal gray area. If a neighbor blows leaves into your yard with a leaf blower, for example, this becomes a trickier issue. An inadvertent smattering of leaves is one thing, but repeatedly blowing leaves onto your property out of laziness or spite could be a concern worth bringing up with your local or state government. Leaf blowing may have specific local statutes or regulations, which are often held by the local city hall. Some cities also have rules against blowing leaves into areas where they may block drains. If your neighbor's leaves are blocking a wastewater drain on the street outside your property, you should definitely remove them. If your neighbor blew the leaves into that area, it's worth having a polite conversation with them to explain why this is a problem. 

If you are physically unable to rake leaves that have fallen into your yard, talking to the neighbor may also help, and they may offer to rake them for you. All in all, it's best to stay on friendly terms with neighbors over these matters. And to help prevent this problem in future, you could follow these simple tips to add more privacy to your yard — they may just catch some of those meandering leaves in the process.